Car and electric coupler



Aug. 18, 1931. H. E.-VAN DORN 1,819,213

CAR AND ELECTRIC COUPLER Filed Feb. 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fizymzaw //Z. 4% Ma,

Aug. 18, 1931. H. EVAN DORN 1,819,213

CAR AND ELECTRIC COUPLER Filed Feb. 21., 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 18, 1931 emu STATES PATENT oFFIcE HERBERT VAN IDORN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM E. VAN DORN,, 4

OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA can, AND ELECTRIC COBBLE Application filed February 21,1927. Serial No. 169,751.

The presentinvention relates particularly to the automatic opening and closing of protective doors or closures on electric couplers when two cars are coupled and uncoupled; and it has for its object to produce a simple,

5 novel and efiicient means for this purpose.

In my application Serial Number 171,697 filed February 28, 1927, I have disclosed an electric coupler of the so-called stationary contact type that is, having contacts that normally project beyond the front face of the coupler, provided with a door controlled from a movable part of the car coupler on which the electric coupler is mounted. Viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be regarded as consisting'in a reorganization of the door-operating mechanism of the electric coupler in the aforesaid application to permit the door to be controlled by an opposing electric coupler, thus making each electric coupler and its door-operating mechanism self-contained. V v v The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a coupler embodying my improvements, the door being closed; Fig. 2 is a side view of the coupler with the parts in the same positions as in Fig. 1, portions being broken away; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the door open; and Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic detail corresponding to a section on line 4.-4: of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a casing or housing adapted to be fixed to a car coupler. In the arrangement shown the casing has bolt holes 20 to receive bolts passing through registering holes in the car coupler as in my aforesaid application. -At the extending across the top of the same.

3 project beyond the effective front face of the coupler which in this instance is prefer- .shaft'are arms 10 between which and the rock shaft in the direction to close the'door.

the rock shaft is adapted to be turned' against the resistance of the spring 15- by an the form of a plunger 17, extending longitudinally of the coupler above and toward ,ing to hold the front end projected several ably the face of a rubber gasket 4 surround- I ing thearea in which thecontacts are located. 5 is a door having at its ends wings 6 that extend from the door along the sides of the housing and are pivoted thereto as indicated;

at 7. The door is capable of swinging through an angle of about ninety degrees betweena position in which it lies in front of the coupler in contact with the sealing gasket, as 111 Fig. 2, and a position underneath the coupler, as in Fig. 8. A rockshaft 8 extends across the top of the coupler near the rear end of the latter, being supported by lugs or ears on the housing. At the ends of the rock wings on the door are connecting rods 11.

wardly from the rock shaft and to this arm is pivoted a rod 13 that extends slidably through a lug 16 on top of the housing, toward the rear. A spring 15 surrounds the rod andbears at its ends against the lug 16 and a shoulder 14 on the rod. The spring 15, it will be seen, tends constantly to turn the .All of the parts heretofore described are parts in my aforesaid application. I

In accordance with the present invention,

actuator that is driven back through engagement with a cooperating coupler. In the arrangement shown, the actuator takes.

one side of the same The front end of the plunger extends slidably through the flange 2 on the housing, suitable spring means tendinches beyond such flange. Two springs, 18 and 19, are shown for this purpose, those springs surrounding a pair of rods 21, fixed a to and extending rearwardly from a cross piece 22 on the plunger behind the flange 2. The rods 21 at their rear ends pass through a stationary ledge or abutment 23 against which the rear ends of the springs 18 and 1 9 bear. The rearendof the plunger extends underneath the rock shaft and has therein an elongated slot 24: adapted to receive a cam arm 25 on the rock shaft.

The parts are so proportioned that normally the springs 18 and 19 hold the plunger pressed forward as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2; the cam arm 25 extending into the slot in the plunger; and the door being closed. When two couplers approach each other, the plunger on each strikes the raised flange on the other, causing the plungers to be forced back. As the plungers move backward the rock shafts are turned in the direction to open the doors. At a definite point in the rearward movement of each plunger the cor responding cam arm rises out of the slot in the plunger and thereafter rides on top of the plunger. The result is that the doors are swung open while the couplers are still a considerable distance apart, and are thereafter locked in their open positions while the coupling is completed and until the couplers have again partially separated.

The springs 15, 18 and 19 are of course, compressed during the act of coupling so as to store up energy to close the doors and return the plungers to their normal position upon uncoupling. Therefore, when the couplers begin to move apart, during uncoupling, the plungers are pushed forward by their springs, but the doors cannot begin to close until the plungcrs have travelled ahead far enough to bring the slots therein underneath the cam arms on the rock shafts. As soon as the slots in the plungers reach the cam arms the latter begin to swing down into the same under the urge of the door springs, so that thereafter the doors and the plungers complete their movements together.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a simple mechanism for automatically opening and closing the doors of electric couplers in such a manner that the doors will be positively opened before the couplers have neared each other sulhciently to cause the doors to interfere with each other, and that the doors will be locked in their open positions while the coupling is completed and until the couplers are again separated far enough to permit the doors to clear each other in closing.

l/Vhile I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

ing so proportioned and arranged that when the actuator is at the rearward limit of its movement the cam arm rests on top of the vactuator,,and a spring acting on the rock shaft in a direction to tend constantly to close the door.

2. An electric coupler having contacts normally projecting beyond its front end to engage with similar contacts on a cooperat-- ing coupler when the two couplers are brought together, a door mounted on a coupler for SWIHO'IHO movements between a closed 1 Q n a H a position 1n front of the coupler and an idle position underneath the coupler, an actuator extending lengthwise of the coupler and mounted on the latter so as to be slidable in the dlrectlon of 1ts length, means arranged between said actuator and said door to cause the door to be opened when the actuator is moved back a predetermined distance, and

a spring normally holding said actuator with its forward end projected beyond the closed door a distance considerably greater than the aforesaid predetermined distance.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specil fication.

HERBERT E. VAN DORN.

' 1. An electric coupler having contacts normally projecting beyond its front end, a door mounted on the coupler for swinging movethe coupler, a sliding actuator mounted on 

